* Background is here and here if you need it. Mayor Brandon Johnson yesterday…
“Early this morning, there was an alleged act of retaliation at a Halloween party in the North Lawndale community that left 15 people injured. Initial reports indicate that the suspect was asked to leave the gathering before returning and senselessly opening fire.
Chicago police responded to the shooting and with the assistance of those in attendance, quickly apprehended the offender.
As with all acts of gun violence in our city, my heart is with the victims, families and communities impacted. The Community Safety Coordination Center will ensure that victims and survivors have the resources they need to address trauma, and my office will continue to mobilize the full force of government in working with City agencies, community-based partners, faith leaders and others to reduce the number of guns on Chicago streets and bring safety to our neighborhoods and families.
Sadly, mass casualty events like these are not exclusive to the City of Chicago. This Halloween weekend alone, 11 people were killed in 12 mass shootings across the country from Tampa to Texarkana. This comes on the heels of last week’s devastating mass shooting in Maine.
The proliferation of high-powered artillery is tearing the fabric of our nation, and as long as I am mayor, Chicago will continue to lead the call for common sense gun reform to bring safety to all communities.”
* The full list is here, but Moms Demand Action has a partial roundup…
• On Sunday morning, a mass shooting in Ybor City in Tampa, Florida left two people, including a 14-year-old, dead, and 16 wounded, 15 from gunshot wounds.
• At a Halloween party in the North Lawndale neighborhood in Chicago, 15 people were shot and wounded when gunfire erupted inside the party. Four more people were shot and wounded in Chicago in a drive-by shooting outside a party.
• In Texarkana, Texas, three people were killed and three others were wounded in a shooting at a party in the back room of a business a little after 9 p.m. on Saturday.
• In northeast Indianapolis, 10 people between the ages of 16 and 21 years old were wounded, one of them fatally, at a large party.
• Four people — two of them students — were shot Sunday near Georgia State University’s Atlanta campus. Another GSU student was shot at the same location in December 2022.
• In Las Cruces, New Mexico – seven people were wounded in a shooting at a party near Hillrise Elementary School.
• A shooting at a Halloween party at a bar in Dodge, Kansas left two men shot and killed and another two wounded.
Your thoughts?
- Homebody - Monday, Oct 30, 23 @ 3:32 pm:
There is a reason the Onion keeps running the same headline.
- DuPage Saint - Monday, Oct 30, 23 @ 3:38 pm:
It was 15 people shot. Saying injured makes it sound like someone tripped over something. All the rest is just as meaningful of sending Our thoughts and Prayers.
- Donnie Elgin - Monday, Oct 30, 23 @ 3:46 pm:
“All the rest is just as meaningful of sending Our thoughts and Prayers”.
The community leaders disagree…
“Later on Sunday, members of the North Lawndale community focused on healing, gathering in prayer”
https://abc7chicago.com/chicago-shooting-lawndale-halloween-party-several-people-shot-police-department/13987856/
- wowie - Monday, Oct 30, 23 @ 3:48 pm:
Mayor Johnson is not Mayor of Texarkana or any of the other locations.
- Rich Miller - Monday, Oct 30, 23 @ 3:52 pm:
===The community leaders disagree===
The community leaders didn’t just type it, they did something about it. Huge difference.
- Frida's boss - Monday, Oct 30, 23 @ 3:59 pm:
The Mayor is really solid at deflection. Hoping to change the narrative to it’s not our fault everyone has the problem is a good way of not dealing with the problem.
- Demoralized - Monday, Oct 30, 23 @ 4:05 pm:
==Mayor Johnson is not Mayor of Texarkana or any of the other locations.==
I guess the point sailed right over your head didn’t it.
- Benjamin - Monday, Oct 30, 23 @ 4:08 pm:
The mayor is making a fair point. Chicago is not uniquely bad when it comes to crime; last I checked, it didn’t even make the top 10 list of big cities for crime per capita. And yet it’s been held out to be the poster child for ineffective crime fighting.
Mentioning the other cities’ shootings way down in the fourth paragraph and calling for tighter gun control (after praising the fast work by the police) are all very reasonable responses. I sincerely doubt a (say) Mayor Vallas could do better.
- OneMan - Monday, Oct 30, 23 @ 4:10 pm:
== The proliferation of high-powered artillery is tearing the fabric of our nation, and as long as I am mayor, Chicago will continue to lead the call for common sense gun reform to bring safety to all communities.” ==
Yep, but people have been calling for that for quite some time, and it has not happened. Odds are it isn’t going to happen.
I think it might be time to offer up something you can actually do to try and address these issues instead of just calling from common sense gun laws.
I think some solid actions to deal with the reality of gun laws and everything else as they exist at this time would be a great idea.
Heck even some proposals besides laws that realistically have little chance of changing anytime soon would be welcome
- Lincoln Lad - Monday, Oct 30, 23 @ 4:11 pm:
I think broadening the scope outside Chicago makes an important point. Good for the Mayor… we have a national problem…
- Captain Obvious - Monday, Oct 30, 23 @ 4:16 pm:
The proliferation of high powered artillery? A handgun was used in this shooting. All the “assault” weapon bans in the world would not have prevented it. Nice deflection though. Maybe Brando should work on fixing the problem in his own backyard instead of trying to normalize it by saying it happens everywhere. What are you gonna do right?
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Oct 30, 23 @ 4:16 pm:
===“All the rest is just as meaningful of sending Our thoughts and Prayers”.
The community leaders disagree…
“Later on Sunday, members of the North Lawndale community focused on healing, gathering in prayer”===
- Donnie Elgin -, as I recall you call gun deaths, “regrettable”
That’s not even thoughts and prayers.
If you’d like I can get that quote…
- Pot calling kettle - Monday, Oct 30, 23 @ 4:17 pm:
“Use a gun to solve your problems.” Seems to be a theme amongst gun proponents and the message is getting through loud and clear.
Imagine if we decided that guns are not the answer; on the local, state, national, and international level. We humans have a lot of problems to address: the wide variety of environmental concerns, food and shelter to those without, equitable education and economic opportunity, healthcare, etc. Yet, we spent untold resources on weapons and neglect the stuff that is truly important; whose life is made better by that choice?
- wowie - Monday, Oct 30, 23 @ 4:20 pm:
==the point sailed right over your head==
No, I get the point from Mayor Johnson. Deflect away from his responsibility and his campaign promise to reduce gun violence.
I just think the point is not a particularly brave one. I like leaders who lead and I haven’t seen a whole lot of that from the current Mayor.
Speaking as a voter of his, btw.
- low level - Monday, Oct 30, 23 @ 4:22 pm:
Beetle Bailey - your stand on firearms is another reason you lost. Just helping you try to understand it since earlier you said you didn’t know.
- Amalia - Monday, Oct 30, 23 @ 4:23 pm:
it’s just sickening. all of it. this, Maine, and too long a list this year of killings and mass shootings. mass shootings with powerful weapons grasp our attention especially if there is visual confirmation of a shooter. but shootings with smaller weapons, handguns, make up the vast majority of the injury and death from shootings.this is why laws against illegal possession are part of the work against violence….guns move around from legal purchase to illegal purchase. we simply cannot take the words of the NRA that it is not the gun.
- walker - Monday, Oct 30, 23 @ 4:42 pm:
A guy is kicked out of a party, gets real angry and returns to throw a rock at the front door. I could see that all day long.
What’s different here? Immediate access to a deadly weapon?
Shooting into a crowd and actually hitting and wounding 15? That’s more than a simple handgun with a regular magazine.
Our society is out of control with hundreds of million firearms.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Monday, Oct 30, 23 @ 5:01 pm:
A tragic and senseless event, but the phrase “high powered artillery” hurts my brain.
- maybe - Monday, Oct 30, 23 @ 5:21 pm:
According to pewresearch, only roughly 3% of gun homicides are mass shootings. Of gun deaths, 54% are suicide, the true gun violence death by mass shooter is under 1%. With this being said, how are “assault weapons” the issue?
https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/04/26/what-the-data-says-about-gun-deaths-in-the-u-s/
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Monday, Oct 30, 23 @ 5:23 pm:
Johnson is absolutely correct to draw attention to the need for gun control. Democrats are about 4 years behind on this message, but you have to start somewhere, and someone has to do it.
There are legit questions about why police were parked nearby when this venue already had a history of running unlicensed events. Why police did not shut this party down sooner. And why the event security did not call police after the guy was kicked out of the party and continued to loiter outside.
There is no mention of him going to a vehicle and returning, so at this point I assume he had a gun on him the whole time.
The owner’s name is “China Howard”, and according to the IL SOS website, China just renewed her corporate filings on 9/23/23.
Maybe after someone’s business gets shut down for multiple violations, we oughta not allow them to reopen that business or serve as the principal for a new one for 5-7 years?
How the heck did the city issue her a new business license is another fair question.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Oct 30, 23 @ 5:38 pm:
- maybe -
Lemme guess, you also think gun deaths are regrettable too.
There’s 1.8 mass shootings a day in this country.
Parsing what guns to keep assault weapons is kinda a weird and sad commentary to want guns.
- Fivegreenleaves - Monday, Oct 30, 23 @ 9:15 pm:
It’s not gun violence. It’s violence. Period. Violence is the problem, whether it’s with a gun, a knife, or a set of fists. End ALL violence.
- maybe - Tuesday, Oct 31, 23 @ 5:54 am:
-Oswego Willy-
I don’t believe “parsing” is the true issue, however let us stop passing the buck and playing politics. Its easy to pit two people against each other on gun control just so they are blind to the real issue, there are social-economic issues that create crime in general and politicians know they cannot solve it, so instead we create a new issue to distract.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Oct 31, 23 @ 9:01 am:
===It’s not gun violence. It’s violence. Period. Violence is the problem, whether it’s with a gun, a knife, or a set of fists. End ALL violence. ===
Thanks, genius. Got a plan for that? lol
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Oct 31, 23 @ 9:21 am:
===social-economic issues that create crime in general and politicians know they cannot solve it, so instead we create a new issue to distract===
Now explain every country outside the United States.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Oct 31, 23 @ 9:35 am:
- maybe -
What Rich said.
(I read your comment)